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As a former Baltimore City police officer for four years, the last two working plain-clothes drug enforcement, it is clear to me that not only should all drugs be decriminalized, but they should be legalized. The drug economy - legal or not - will always exist. Demand sustains or increases drug supply, and the demand is never going away. Illegal drugs will forever remain in our communities, whether Baltimore City or rural Lycoming County, yet alcohol is the most abused drug in the United States, despite being legal, advertised, and encouraged. Ask around your circles and you will find someone who knows someone who can get you "this" drug -- a friend who has a medicinal marijuana card; an acquaintance who has a friend who can get them cocaine; a person whose post-surgery opioid medication bottle remains half full shares with family; and the list goes on. Our school children will know who to go to for drugs, see drugs in school, and unfortunately, some will use drugs, or worse yet, sell their classmates drugs.
The War on Drugs disproportionately impacts underserved communities. I know this from firsthand experience arresting hundreds of drug users and sellers for cocaine or heroin. What did this accomplish? Nothing positive, but it did ruin community relations through aggressive policing. It also gave a young man of color, for example, a criminal record, eliminating future legitimate job prospects and denying him access to opportunity, thus forcing him to turn to illegitimate means of making a living (drug dealing), which gives rise to a continual arrest cycle. This same story can be repeated for countless minorities within the criminal justice system.
Second, the War on Drugs lines the pockets of police officers with overtime money. Ask the next police officer you meet how many OT hours they receive for court appearances and then ask them how many of these cases involve drugs. Officers generally receive a minimum number of hours of OT for a court appearance even if they are there briefly. Often cases are postponed, and that same officer might have multiple court appearances for one drug case. Taxpayer, this is your burden. Thank you, police unions.
Third, the War on Drugs perpetuates stereotypes and/or racial profiling. Each time I read a drug arrest in the Gazette, especially a car stop and arrest involving minorities, three thoughts come to mind: racial profiling, the police officer is "bending" the truth, and this arrest makes zero difference in our nation's drug war. Furthermore, the same people living in some of the more affluent neighborhoods in our county loudly calling for racial justice, which is an admirable and necessary cause, at their racially homogeneous parties or staged discussion events, are the same people who would call 9-1-1 to report a person of color in their neighborhood, terming it "suspicious drug activity."
Ending the War on Drugs will not end the supply and demand for drugs. What it ideally will do is stop giving people criminal records for drugs which denies them opportunity, it will arguably reduce the taxpayer burden for officers making minor drug arrests, and hopefully reduce stereotypes and racial profiling.
DAVID BJORKMAN
Williamsport
Submitted via Virtual Newsroom